Tofigh "Tofy" Mussivand (Persian: توفیق موسیوند; 2 December 1942 – 7 January 2024) was an Iranian-Canadian medical engineer of Kurdish origin who invented an artificial cardiac pump, a device that pumps blood and takes over the function of breathing during a heart surgery.[1][2][3]

Tofy Mussivand
Born
Tofigh Mussivand

(1942-12-02)2 December 1942
Died7 January 2024(2024-01-07) (aged 81)
NationalityIranian, Canadian
OccupationEngineer
Known forInventing an artificial cardiac pump

Biography

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Mussivand was born to Kurdish parents in the village of Varkaneh in Hamadan province, Iran. Before leaving Varkaneh to study in Tehran, he was a goat herder.[3] He studied engineering at Tehran University and University of Alberta, and fled Iran in 1957. He worked for the Canadian government, crown corporations, and the private sector.[citation needed]

Mussivand went on to receive his doctorate in medical engineering and medical sciences at the University of Akron and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Thereafter, he joined the Cleveland Clinic. In 1989, Mussivand returned to Canada.[2]

Mussivand was a professor of surgery and of engineering at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University; the chair and director of the cardiovascular devices division of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) and medical devices program of both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. He was an honorary member of the Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences.[2]

Mussivand died on 7 January 2024, at the age of 81.[4]

Selected publications

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References

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  1. ^ Wyatt, Valerie (2001). The Kids Book of Canadian Firsts. Illustrated by John Mantha. Toronto, Ontario: Kids Can Press. ISBN 9781550749656. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Mussivand, Tofy (retired)". University of Ottawa Heart Institute. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b Gray, Charlotte (1997). "Ottawa researchers enter home stretch in race to produce artificial heart" (PDF). Canadian Medical Association Journal. 156 (4): 553–555. PMC 1232789. PMID 9054828. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Tofigh Mussivand (Tofy)". Ottawa Citizen. 10 January 2024. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024 – via Remembering.ca.